Going wild? Read the small print first.

It seems that you won’t have to go too far to get snow this week. Winter has well and truly arrived. It’s enough to turn our thoughts to winter sports isn’t it? Funny that, especially when we’ve been talking about it all this month in the World First blog. Perhaps we should have saved it until December and had a little punt on it being a white Christmas this year?

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New Club Med Ski resort opens in China

This week sees French all-inclusive giants Club Med open a purpose built ski resort in Yabuli, China. Yabuli is considered the best resort in China and is the place where the Chinese national ski teams do their training. It was also the location for the 3^rd Asian Winter Games in 1996. Yabuli has 31km of pistes, 18 lifts and plenty of additional activities, including snow park, a toboggan run, a skating rink and snowmobile trails.

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Ten things to help you avoid accidents and prevent injuries on your skiing holiday.

If you are planning a skiing getaway this year, the last thing you want to happen is to come back hobbling or with a wrist in plaster, especially if you forgot to book your travel insurance. Attending the fracture clinic or speding time in hospital is no way to finish a holiday. So whilst it’s no fun to think about and plan for the worst, you could do a lot worse than following our guide to the top ten things to remember on your skiing holiday.

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Nico Chapman is a snowboarder and surfer who lives near Hossegor on the west coast of France. When he’s not surfing the Atlantic rollers near his home you’ll find him carving up the pristine powder of the high Pyrenees. He knows the area well, as he’s been snowboarding here for more than ten years. He also knows his way around the French Alps, having snowboarded there many times too. So we asked him to give us the lowdown on ‘the other alps’ and why he’ll always head for the home range first.

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So it’s Friday afternoon. It’s raining outside. There’s nothing in the diary to keep you excited. Every other shop window is spraying fake snow all over the place. You’re dreaming of far away lands. You’re dreaming of pistes glowing white under a fresh dump of snow. You’re dreaming of schnapps and good times. Why not? But where to first?

If you’re thinking of dropping everything and jumping on a plane for a quick snow plough in the alps it’s going to be a bit of a risk at this time of year. But don’t worry. With your trusty computer at hand you can check out the snow conditions practically anywhere. So. How about a quick overnight dash to Scotland? What’s happening right now? Thankfully you can check out the conditions right here at Ski-Scotland’s website. There’s not much on offer but you might be lucky if you head for the Cairngorms. They plan to open this weekend for snow sports. Yippeeee. (more…)

In the last blog we looked at airport parking with ski gear on our journey to the slopes for this winter’s ski season and great deals on airport parking as part of a World First Travel Insurance package.  For this one we’re going to look at a completely different way of getting there – the ski train from St Pancras ( you might not need the parking but you’ll still need great value winter sports cover). Going by train can be really relaxing and it could well prove to be the answer for people who want all the fun of the snow without the hassle or higher environmental impact of flying.

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How much would you pay for hassle free parking with your ski gear?

Now that half term is over and the drizzle has set in, it could well be time to start looking forward to Christmas – and a winter break in the snow. With exchange rates making Europe a costly exercise for many would-be boarders and skiers, we’re all going to be looking for a bargain. And that means taking a good look at every aspect of your holiday, from the cost of your insurance to all those little holiday extras. They can soon add up.

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